Kristen Elkins

Chief Quality, Compliance, and Ethics Officer

Bringing with her more than 17 years of experience in the I/DD field, Kristen Elkins started at YAI in January 2023. Before joining YAI, she served as Chief Operations Officer at Opengate, where, among other responsibilities, she led the organization’s COVID response and provided direct oversight for the agency’s residential and day hab programming. Prior to that position, she served as Opengate’s Chief Compliance Officer, developing and maintaining policies, implementing the agency’s compliance plan, and ensuring compliance with state and federal regulations. Over her career, Kristen has worked as a DSP, an investigator, and a program officer. She is Certified in Healthcare Compliance (CHC) from the Compliance Certification Board and is a Design Thinking Advisory Board Member at Pace University’s Lubin School of Business. Kristen earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Criminal Justice from St. John’s University.